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So, I was sitting on my side porch tonight enjoying what was the best day of my vacation when I started thinking about worship….and the many issues I have with it.

See, with traditional worship, in the cases I have seen, there is an abundance of reverence. Don’t get me wrong, reverence is great, but should not be the primary focus of worship. God desires for us to enjoy worship as well — not be scared of it. In fact, in many churches, the rigid structure of the service holds back the true power of God.

On the other hand, so many newer ‘modern’ or contemporary services focus so much energy into creating a show for God. So much time and resources are spent trying to attract people to the latest and greatest in services that they forget to invite God.

What we need is an experience. We need an experience with God. An Experience of God. Churches need to step back and realize that it doesn’t matter who sings or plays or what style of music you use, it is about revealing God to these people. It isn’t about a pastor or a great-looking narthex, it is about welcoming and accepting these people so they are comfortable and willing to hear God when He speaks to them.

That is all for now…..

Yeah, so I have a great quote from two ladies at work (its been a rough week):

You

Can’t

Cure

Stupid

What kind of day has Brad had?

‘Some people are like slinkies.  Not really good for anything, but they bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs.’

ha ha.  I am having trouble deciding if I am the slinkie or the pusher today.  Either day, I am really glad God doesn’t treat us like that….we would all be in a heap of trouble.

Alright, so this post gives total props to my good friend, Amy S.  Amy has got to be one of the coolest and most humble people I know.

If you don’t know her, you should!  So there.

But, yeah, she posted a quote from CS Lewis on her FaceBook:

‘I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.’ -C.S. Lewis

Alright, so I totally think I am addicted to the Google ‘Quotes of the Day’ widget. Here are two from today:

Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward. - Kurt Vonnegut

Friends may come and go, but enemies accumulate. - Thomas Jones

Much love for the second one…..peace out, yo.
Brad

How strongly am I allowed to agree with this statement? Unfortunately, good or bad, I agree very strongly.

‘There’s a whiff of the lynch mob or the lemming migration about any overlarge concentration of like-thinking individuals, no matter how virtuous their cause.’

- PJ O’Rourke

Alright, so this post is going to contain a total spoiler for those of you who don’t know the entire Narnia story. But, this is my blog so deal with it.

In ‘The Final Battle’ there is a scene where all the kings and queens from Narnia’s past are there. All except for Susan. Susan, you see, is no longer a friend of Narnia. My heart breaks everytime I hear this or read this or think this.

I mean, seriously….all of her friends and her siblings are all there, but she is not. I just don’t understand. But this goes on every day. So many people know the hope and love that Christ gives, but choose not to ‘be a friend.’

But, here is my big question. Susan is no longer a friend of Narnia. However, the children could see their parents in the other land. Because she had given up on Narnia, does that mean that Susan would never see Aslan’s country? The answer to that opens up a very slippery slope. If so, then it implies she was a nonbeliever during her life. If not, then it implies that other faith and beliefs can obtain eternal peace — but where is that line of other beliefs (especially given the Tash-followers allowance into Aslan’s country).

But, for the meantime, I will mourn the loss of Susan.

Alright, so Paige Davis (from Trading Spaces) really needs to go back to her old hair style. She was much cuter with her old hair.

But, that is just my humble opinion.

Then again, she is the one making 10x more than me, so I am pretty sure she knows hat to do with her hair. Ah well….

Okay!  So, tomorrow is the zoo.  I have not been to the zoo in ages. I am really, really excited about going for some reason.

Supposed to rain, but also supposed to be in the 90’s. Should be a good time.

If anybody is interested, give me a shout and join in the fun.  I have a few group tickets left.

Alright, so….as many of you may have guessed, since I have been a Narnia-lover for years, that I am all up and excited over the latest movie-release of Caspian. The thing I love best about these books is that they tell a different story every time you read/see them. The reader truly gets to see a brand new Narnia every time they pick up that book.

To save myself some time, I have decided to listen to them on audiobook rather than reread at this time. Wow.

The thing that has really stood out to me this time are the kings. Throughout its history, Narnia had many kings. The books, however, expound on only a few of the kings — and specifically those who were selfless enough to call for help.

What I noticed most are the characteristics of the kings. The one characteristic I have found of all the great kings is a sense of adventure. Look at the 4 kings, Caspian, etc. Their entire reign was surrounded by adventure. Sure, they kept the peace and ensured the needs of their people. But they kept themselves young and sharp and in the midst of the greatest of adventures.

How different would our lives be if we lived each day in search of our next adventure?